Photography credit: Unsplash.com
2016 has nearly come to a close and it has become a little tradition on this blog to reflect back on what I have written over the past year (see my posts for 2015 and 2014). I am really happy with all that I have achieved with February Stars in 2016. My little blog has continued to grow and I can’t thank all of you enough for reading what I write and for your continued support.
Throughout the year I have received many lovely emails and have chatted to a lot of you about life with chronic illness. It always helps to know that I am not alone in what I experience and it never fails to brighten my day when I learn that my writing has helped someone. I am being completely honest when I say that this often keeps me going as I can find blogging a challenge at times.
This year I also joined a network called Chronic Illness Bloggers, which you guessed it, is a network of bloggers who write about chronic illness. Not only does this network provide guidance and support, it has also given me some wonderful opportunities to share some of the best chronic illness-related products with you.
It would be hard for me to pick out my favourite posts of the year and so I have turned to Google analytics to see which posts got the most page views through the course of the year. In other words, this is a countdown of the 10 posts from 2016 that were most popular with you.
Your favourite 10 posts from this year
10. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for treating fibromyalgia: an update
In May of this year, I started a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. There had been quite a lot of press attention on this treatment and I decided to try it out for myself. This post shares how I got on and what my thoughts on the treatment were. Also worth a mention is my post explaining what hyperbaric oxygen therapy is.
09. Discovering the underlying cause of my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
This has definitely been the most significant post of the year for me. It was a massive decision to go private with my healthcare and have a consultation at Breakspear Medical. However, it has absolutely been the best decision for me and this post details what health issues Breakspear uncovered.
08. My fibromyalgia & CFS symptoms are improving: 33 signs that I am getting better
I have had a few setbacks with my health this year and I know I am not alone in experiencing that. Setbacks can make it hard to see any forward progress and given that progress tends to be subtle, we can become blind to it. This post was a reminder to look for the little improvements that will eventually lead to better health.
07. 7 tips for dealing with difficult days
In this post, I share the tips and strategies I use to help me through setbacks and flare ups. As I just mentioned, setbacks were something I had to deal with quite a bit this past year. I have developed some helpful coping skills to see me through them, which I hope will help you too.
06. Are you trying too hard to get better?
Managing a chronic illness and trying to improve our health can feel all-consuming. It takes a multi-faceted approach and it can often feel like we are doing million-and-one things all at once. This post serves as a reminder that paring things back and keeping things simple can be incredibly helpful.
05. How to travel when you have a variable health condition, such as fibromyalgia
Travelling is something that I love to do but it is admittedly difficult to travel when you have a chronic illness. I am determined to keep travelling, though, and here I share some tips and information that help me to do so.
04. 5 mistakes I have made in my recovery from fibromyalgia & CFS
I believe it is important to share my failures as well as my successes. I try to be as honest as possible on this blog and in this post I share some of the mistakes I have made and where I went wrong in my recovery.
03. My top 3 worst symptoms & how I manage them
Fatigue, pain and feeling unwell are my three worst symptoms. Here, I explain how I manage these symptoms through symptomatic therapies, coping strategies, pacing strategies and by addressing the underlying dysfunction in my body.
02. 3 supplements that can help to improve sleep in fibromyalgia sufferers
Sleep is a topic that I personally feel is really, really important. Consistently getting good sleep is key to recovery. Sadly, it’s what most of us struggle with; we are often robbed of a good night’s sleep because of our illness. And we can go from one sleep issue to the next. Here, I share 3 supplements that have helped me to get a better night’s sleep.
01. CBD oil for fibromyalgia pain relief
This has been the most popular post of 2016 and for good reason too! CBD oil is becoming increasingly popular for its pain-relieving properties. In this post, Honey Colony explain how CBD oil can help fibromyalgia sufferers.
Thank you again for all your support this year. I am excited to see what 2017 holds in store for February Stars!
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